Illusion in the Mists
by Cap'n Poptart
Summary: Just a simple secretary doing her best to bury her less than perfect past. Unfortunately, when her boss would do pretty much anything to dig up her dirty little secrets, things weren't always counted on to go smoothly. She was hopeful something would come along to put her out of her misery, like the incidents that seemed to fall to the Earth every few years, but no such luck. Yet.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't even know anymore. I was having some serious _Avengers_ and Tony Stark feelings, so I just went with it. We'll see how well this goes.**

* * *

It was just supposed to be some random box, bought for their mother's birthday present to be added to her collection of antique boxes she claimed belonged to their ancestors. When they were out shopping one day in the market, their father had seen it sitting on the table and immediately turned to his children, telling them this was the perfect present. He insisted the detail in the carvings were the same on every single box in their mother's collection, so this box had to be from their ancestor's as well. So he went on to haggle with the man selling the relic and spent 100 yuan on some old box they couldn't even open. He was pleased with their buy, however, and offered his children a bright smile as he told them their mother would love it.

Their mother had, in fact, ended up loving it, and it became the most prized antique in her collection, sitting proudly on their shelf. Yunyi enjoyed looking up at it before going to bed, admiring the golden dragon that kept the box sealed from prying eyes. Yunru picked up a habit of running his fingers over the clasp before leaving the home, the action filling him with a sense of security for the upcoming day. The two children thought that maybe, with the collection of dragon boxes guarding their home, they were safe. That maybe nothing bad would happen. But then something did.

One day everything seemed fine, but the next changed everything. It started like any other, Yunru rubbing the dragon for luck while Yunyi followed after him, rubbing her eyes tiredly as they walked to school, but then the explosions suddenly started. Their mother cradled Yunru to her chest as they hid under the table while their father held Yunyi tightly as he pressed himself against one of the walls. Their whole world seemed to shake with the immense power of each explosion as it drew closer, and the severity of the situation hit Yunyi when the shelf above her shattered and the precious boxes fell to the ground. Most of them cracked upon impact, but one, the box that had become the centerpiece, merely landed with a dull _clunk_. The golden dragon seemed to stare at her, and when the next tremor shook their home, she leapt away from the wall and threw her small body over the relic. It was the last remnant of her family's heritage, and her mother had ingrained that importance in her since she could walk, so she would not let it be destroyed like this. Her father let out a shout and moved to follow her, but this time the explosion was much closer, and the family found themselves coughing as the dust from a collapsed wall filled their lungs. Shouting reached their ears as people started approaching their house from the rest of town. Yunyi, terrified and apart from her family in the confusion of dust and ringing, crawled into her parents' bedroom and hid in their wardrobe, watching light start to filter through the dust.

Her grip tightened on the box as she heard a commotion from the kitchen, where she had last left her family. It didn't sound good. She struggled to keep her labored breathing quiet as footsteps drew ever closer to her hiding spot. And then she noticed the light. It was faint and attempting to creep its way out from the folds of her baggy shirt. The box! She held it up to see the dragon attempting to keep the light sealed up tight inside, and curiosity moved her to open it despite knowing it wouldn't budge. Her father had taken a screwdriver to it and still hadn't managed to pry it open, but she couldn't seem to remember this as her hand gripped the lid and pulled. To her surprise, it actually gave way and opened, revealing what seemed to be a pendant coated in stone. Exactly how long had it been since it had been placed inside? Her fingers curled around it, and suddenly the stone and dirt crumbled away. A beautiful pearl was strung on a short piece of ribbon, a rudimentary clasp adorning each end of the material, and as the doors to the bedroom slammed open, Yunyi felt compelled to put the pendant on. Her clumsy fingers struggled to get clasp it, and as each second ticked by the intruders drew ever closer to her hiding place, but finally she managed to complete the clasp.

Her screams of pain could be heard from the rest of the house, over the shouts of the intruders even. Something happened that day, something beside the attack on their village, and even the agency S.H.I.E.L.D., a sort of collector of strange occurrences, could not decipher the mystery of the attack. They did not know who invaded, or why, or even how they had been stopped. They merely found a village full of bodies and rubble. And so, this, like so many other unfortunate events, was filed in their archives and brushed under the rug by skilled agents making deals with one largely corrupt government, if it could even be called that, and the Madripoor village massacre was soon forgotten by all who had ever heard of it.


	2. Chapter 2

"Mr. Stark! Mr. Stark!" Jenny Li huffed as her short legs struggled to keep up with her employer's longer strides. "Mr. Stark, I must insist you slow down immediately so I can shove my tablet up your ass!" she snapped while waving said tablet angrily. She'd been asking him to sign a few things for the past five minutes, since they'd stepped out of his car in front of the Boston hotel.

"You know, it's interesting how you still manage to keep your manners while threatening such actions, Jenny," he drawled as he spun around to walk backwards casually, brown eyes mocking her as she continued to walk at a brisk pace. "I see now why I keep you around."

"You keep me around because I'm the only person who can actually stand to be around you! I also know all your deepest darkest secrets so it would be unwise to piss me off too much."

"So you're saying I haven't pissed you off enough? Damn, must be a slow week."

She huffed once more before reaching out to grab the sleeve of his suit, tugging him back impatiently. She then shoved her tablet in his hands, shooting him a fierce glare so he would actually start scribbling away on those dotted lines. He let out a laugh before complying, finishing his signatures with a flourish.

"See? I did the thing!" he told her proudly as he handed the device back to her. "With those documents I just granted every genius kid one wish."

"Well, every genius kid who attends MIT."

"Have to keep my loyalty to my alma mater. Can you imagine if I funded the projects at Harvard?" He shuddered at the thought. "No, this is much better for my conscience."

"Yes, yes, very good, now can we talk about the schedule for tomorrow?" she asked as they stepped off the elevator. "Because I really think we should go over the schedule for tomorrow."

"Hm, yeah, maybe we _should_ , but I don't wanna."

"Wh-Mr. Stark!" Jenny surged forward, about to force her way into his room and _demand_ they go over the schedule, but her boss shut the door gleefully in her face. "Asshole!"

His giggling was the only response, causing her to roll her eyes. While he was being particularly annoying, it was good to hear him be so carefree. He hadn't properly giggled like that since Pepper had requested they take a break. The split had really taken a toll on the genius, and he spent most of his time in his workshop or throwing money at various organizations, or desperate students in the case of the September Fund. It wasn't as exhausting as usual, which was good, but she also did kind of miss the days she would run after Stark when he tried to give her the slip to meet Pepper somewhere for lunch.

"Alright, fine! We'll go over it tomorrow at breakfast!" she conceded through the door. "Good night, Mr. Stark."

"Nighty night, Jenny!" he cooed back.

With another shake of her head she turned to head to her own room. One perk of working for Stark, one perk that definitely in no way made up for the many not so perks, was staying in such swanky hotels. She hadn't been used to such luxury when she first got the job when she'd turned eighteen. She honestly couldn't believe she'd lasted seven years with the man, not with all the death threats and incidents that she'd been forced to go through in that time. The whole Mandarin thing when she'd been convinced for a whole 48 hours that he was dead? Not so fun. Having to deal with the never-ending protests after Sokovia? Not so great. Especially when she, unlike Stark, was not given a security detail. He was Iron Man! He could look after himself! She didn't break five feet and weighed maybe 100 pounds soaking wet! She couldn't even count how many bruises she'd been gifted with when dealing with those protesters. Speaking of, she needed more ice for her wrists. Some particularly… fervent protesters had shoved her aside, resulting on her landing on her hands quite awkwardly. She'd gotten sprains on each wrist for her valiant efforts to stay upright. Stark was insisting on getting her some splints, but she pointed out how they would just clash with their outfits. She still had a feeling he would throw some at her in the next few days, fashion be damned. Sometimes he could be less of a pain in the ass.

* * *

"You know, honestly, they don't even look that bad."

Jenny glared at her boss as he fiddled with the material keeping her hands hostage. Like she'd predicted, Stark had presented her with splints when he'd finally shown up for breakfast. He'd even threatened to have one of his security detail to hold her down while he put them on if she refused, so then she was left with no choice. She didn't want one of those lovable idiots to accidentally aggravate some of her bruises. She had pretty sensitive skin, okay? It bruised very easily, unfortunately. However, they didn't allow for her sleeves to go over them, so she had to roll them up, showing off some ink that would have any other employer nagging her ear off. Stark, however, was just trying to cheer her up because he knew how uncomfortable she was whenever anyone could see her tattoos. They reminded her of some things she'd rather not remember.

"I told you they would clash with my outfit, did I not tell you that?" she growled while tugging impatiently at her sleeves.

"You did, but I'm telling you they look fine. Like gloves. Kind of. Not really. You know, on second thought-"

"Okay, I get it! Thank you so much, Mr. Stark!"

"Hey, I'm just trying to help!"

"I know!"

The two of them settled back in their seats and glared at each other across the table. She knew he was just trying to help. That's all he ever really did, though no one seemed to thank him for his work. All he got for his trouble was more blame and anger. That was always his problem, wasn't it? He just cared too damn much. That's why he was funding all the student projects at MIT. That's why he offered shelter to all the members of the Avengers. That's why he hired Jenny Li, despite everyone warning him against it, despite all she had done. He simply cared too much.


	3. Chapter 3

Sweat dripped down the back of her shirt as her fingers typed away furiously at the ancient laptop before her. Its fans hummed obnoxiously as it tried to keep up with the speed of her work, but what really worried her was the way the light on the small device beside her laptop blinked rapidly. It wasn't supposed to do that. That device was the only thing keeping her safe right now, so it better be working. If not… well at the very least she wouldn't be getting a meal tonight. He promised her this wouldn't be a dangerous job, but of course that had been a lie. Why would he tell her the truth when he knew she would back out? A timer popped up on screen just as her device short circuited and started smoking from beside her. She quelled the urge to fix it as she raced against the clock to complete the job; if she screwed this up, she was ruined. She couldn't afford to muck this job up. And then she was in. A small smile appeared on her face as the files started flitting over onto the flash drive; she'd actually done it. Now she had to get the hell out of there and get the flash drive to her boss before she got caught. Once the transfer had been completed, she shoved the device and flash drive into her pocket and slammed the laptop shut, stuffing it into her backpack desperately. Finally, when she was sure she had left no trace, she yanked her mask up so it was covering her nose and mouth before ducking out the window of the dilapidated building, one of the many peppering this part of the city.

She casually turned the corner, planning on blending into the throng of people ever present in the big city, but suddenly broke into a sprint when she saw the pair of policemen point at her and start to make their way over. She wasn't taking any chances today, not when she had a huge payload to deliver. Her small form weaved through the crowds before slipping into an alley, hoping to lose them with her quick move. Alas, luck was not on her side, as she was immediately grabbed by officers lying in wait. A sigh fell from her lips as she was handcuffed and escorted to a cruiser, being lectured after being read her rights. There went her job.

* * *

The door to the interrogation room swung open, and she watched with a look of indifference as a man dressed in a sharp three-piece suit strolled in. She recognized him, of course, and pushed down the feeling of admiration that threatened to overcome her. In this instance he was not her personal hero, he was some rich guy coming to bury her in lawsuits. So, when he took the seat across the table from her and folded his hands in front of him, she watched him silently, seeming completely disinterested in easily the most influential person in her life.

"So, Jenny-is it okay if I call you Jenny?-you decided it would be fun to pop around my mainframe and nab a few files of mine, did you?" he asked casually before opening the manila folder on the table. "Jenny Li, seventeen, disappeared from the system after your last family was given an eviction notice," he read from her file as if he was reading the specials from a menu. "Guess they decided letting you leave was easier than leaving their home. Still, gotta say, I'm impressed you could even get in. Hell, if you were a bit older, I might even offer you a job."

"Stark," the officer in the room growled. The billionaire was getting off topic. "Just do what you were called here to do."

"Oh, yes, right." He turned his attention to the teen in front of him and narrowed his eyes. "Why'd you do it? Who hired you?"

Rolling her eyes, Jenny slouched further in her chair and gave him a look, silently asking if he was serious. Did he really think she was going to tell him anything because he asked nicely?

"Right. I'm assuming you're in the silent brooding I-hate-the-world phase," he snarked. "I went through one of those. Actually, I may still be going through it. I don't know, I like to change it up a bit. Keeps things interesting. Speaking of interesting, where did you get the ink?"

She shifted in her seat uncomfortably, tugging at the sleeves of her shirt so they hid the tattoos from view once more. He smirked, knowing he was finally getting somewhere. The guard, on the other hand, was not so amused at this change of topic and let out a loud sigh.

"Would you say," Tony started, pointedly ignoring the officer in the corner, "you got them willingly? Kid your age, hard to find a place that'll put a needle to your pure skin, unless, of course, you've found yourself in a place with some lenient rules."

"No one forced me to get them," Jenny finally answered, not wanting him to think she was in some sort of gang. "But I wouldn't say I got them willingly."

"The plot thickens."

"They don't have anything to do with why I hacked into your system, just so you know."

"And we've come full circle, now haven't we? Then tell me, Miss Li: why did you hack into my system? While you do seem like the kid who would do it just because they can-god only knows how many places I hacked into for the same reason at your age-you stole something. Kids like you usually don't take something when they break in. They hack into things just to say they can."

"So I stole something. Why can't I? If I can, why shouldn't I? Besides, you know, laws and stuff like that, but since I'm in the I-hate-the-world phase, I don't really care about those."

"Sass as a defense mechanism, haven't seen that one before."

"At least I can blame mine on teen rebellion. What's your excuse?"

"I'm a rich superhero?" he offered with a smirk. "But back to my question. Why steal those files? What have you to gain from them?"

"Do I look like someone who's going to spill my evil plan to you?"

"They're going to find out. Wire transactions and all that fun stuff."

"Except maybe I'm not getting paid for my work, so good luck with that."

"So if you're not getting paid, maybe this is personal for you."

"Personal how? Like you said, I've been in the system most my life. I've got nothing to my name."

"You vanished from the system," he pointed out. "So maybe this is survival. Too young to get a job that could support you, so you wound up working under the table, being paid in food and board instead of cash." Stark watched the girl closely, noticing the way her nose wrinkled ever so slightly. "Ah, I see. Homeless teenager on the brink of starvation is saved by some underground organization that offers you a place and a warm meal. You just have to worm your way through a few firewalls, no big deal. At least not for someone like you."

"Guess this makes your lawsuit a bit easier," she snarked back. "Not like I can afford someone who can possibly stand a chance against your team of corporate lawyers."

"Except I never planned on using them against you. Kid like you… I could never raise a finger against you."

"That's your problem. You care too much."

"I care too much because I know who you are. You're me before I did everything wrong. You're me before I drowned that spark of hope in whiskey."

"What hope?"

"That you can do better. You're smart, Jenny, almost too smart to know what to do with it. You've got all these things swirling around that brain of yours, and if you don't do _something_ , anything, it'll drown you. So when someone comes up to you and asks you to do something, you do it. What else can you do? You're hungry and tired and desperate for something to do. Except, everything before was harmless. You take a few thousand dollars from some multi-million mega-conglomerate, what's the big deal? They won't even miss it. This job, though, this is where it all changes. This is your weapons deal. With that information, anyone can start a war. And your friends are going to sell that to the highest bidder. World War 3. Complete nuclear devastation. All of it can be traced to you, to this exact moment." Jenny glanced up to see him staring at her urgently. "Something tells me you don't want to see that. You're a good kid, a smart kid. Don't let anyone take advantage of that."

Stark suddenly stood up and started adjusting his suit jacket, smoothing out any wrinkles that could have formed during their conversation. "Where are you going?" Jenny asked worriedly. What was going to happen when he left?

"Home." He took something from his pocket and slid it across the table to her. "You'll be needing this back, and if you ever need a meal or a couch to crash on, give them this card."

"Give who this card? Why are you giving me back this information? Mr. Stark!"

"Officer Stacy, I will be dropping all charges on this young woman, so if you would please?"

She gaped up at him as he gave her a wave and left the room. The officer let out another long sigh before reaching over to unlock her handcuffs. What had just happened? Why was he letting her go with the information? The information he said could start a nuclear war? She rubbed her wrists absentmindedly as she was given back her belongings and escorted from the building. Nothing was making any sense today. She needed some air… and a drink.


	4. Chapter 4

Jenny watched from the wings as Stark demonstrated his newest invention, BARF. They really had to talk about coming up with better acronyms, didn't they. She looked around hopefully, some naive part of her thinking Pepper would actually show up, but all she saw was the woman in charge of all of Stark's PR projects and the faculty member assigned to pester the crap out of the billionaire. If she had to listen to his stupid idea for a self-cooking hot dog one more time, she couldn't be held responsible for her actions. She looked up sharply when she heard her boss pause, and this time not for any dramatic effect. Her lips curved downward when she saw the part welcoming Pepper to the stage hovering at the bottom of the teleprompter. Who the hell had kept that in? When she found them, she would-

"Go break some eggs!"

She stepped to the side when Stark exited the stage, yanking his mic off as his eyes gazed forward distractedly. She touched his arm gently, briefly, to show him he wasn't alone but quickly retracted it so she wouldn't overwhelm his already hyperactive senses. He was anxious. She needed to get him out of there before he had an attack. She slipped away, wincing when she left Stark to fend for himself with the clingy faculty member, to quietly ask one of the staff where the restrooms were located. It would provide a good escape for her boss while she dealt with whatever dunce had decided not to remove the part about Pepper from the speech. It was like everyone _wanted_ him to fall apart today.

"Mr. Stark," she murmured quietly when she returned to his side, "restrooms are over there if you need them. I can handle this while you take care of some business."

He didn't even make a dirty joke, just nodded and excused himself in true Tony Stark manner. She turned to the faculty member once her boss was gone and plastered on a fake smile, pretending to take notes on his "genius" idea. Honestly she found the whole thing ridiculous. Hot dogs weren't even that good in her opinion, and you could find them on any street corner in New York for a couple bucks, so why would anyone need a self-cooking meat? And, just by looking at him, she doubted he could get the chemical receptors to react like he claimed they would. He could end up creating some explosive sausage, and then where would they be? However, she had a job to do, and unfortunately that meant being polite to people she would much rather snap at.

"Yes, that sounds very promising," she told him sweetly as she finished up her doodle of a stick figure rendition of herself scolding the stick figure Stark. She was quite proud of it considering how distracting the guy's voice was. "We'll give you a call when we're ready to hash out the details. Have a good day, sir."

"Oh, thank you!"

She rolled her eyes as she tucked her drawing into her pocket and exited the stage area, heading for the bathroom. Knowing Stark he probably didn't even make it into the restroom and wandered off somewhere else, probably looking for an exit. So she followed the signs for the elevator, hoping she caught him before he could actually leave the premises. Then she'd just get a headache tracking the troublesome billionaire all over Cambridge. He'd probably end up somewhere like Harvard Square, and around this time of day it would be crawling with students and tourists alike. Should she call in security now or later when she knew there was no chance of finding him on her own? She had just taken out her phone when she saw him standing in front of the elevator.

"There you are," she called in relief. "I was starting to get worried about you. Hm? Shouldn't we press the button since we're going up?" She reached forward to press the button and looked over at him with a smile. "Everyone seems really excited about the donation, especially that one profe-what do you have there?"

Slowly Jenny tugged the photo from his grasp and studied it, wondering how he'd come across the picture in the first place. The subject of the photo was quite handsome and had a nice smile, one full of hope. His eyes were alight with happiness. The fact that Stark had it made her concerned. Something must have happened.

"I don't think donations are going to help anymore, Jenny," he whispered as the elevator doors slid open. Must've been sitting there the whole time. "There's too much guilt in me for money to fix."

"Was he…?"

"Volunteer mission in Sokovia."

"Oh no… he looks so young…"

"We killed him."

"Mr. Stark, with all due respect, I don't believe that. I do believe there are consequences for the actions the Avengers take, and I believe this is one of them, but you did not kill him. Ultron did when he targeted the city."

"And who created Ultron?"

"You and Banner," she replied. "But this isn't something you can blame yourself for. You wanted to keep us safe. That's all you ever want."

"Some good that's done," he scoffed bitterly. "All it's brought is more pain and destruction. More good things I've tainted."

"Mr. Stark…"

Their conversation was cut short when Jenny's phone started ringing. Well, technically Stark's phone, but she was the one who answered it. Important people like politicians and other CEOs had this number; the Avengers were the only ones to have access to Stark's _actual_ personal line. Sighing, she answered it, murmuring into it quietly. Stark frowned when he saw a look of distress cross his secretary's face. That was never a good sign. She was usually good at hiding things from people, mostly so her true emotions wouldn't ruin some business negotiation.

"What? What is it?" he hissed urgently.

"There's… there's been an accident," she replied shakily as she ended the call. "I, uh, the mission in Lagos. Something went wrong."

"What happened?"

"An explosion went off, I don't know the specifics everything is still crazy and everyone's freaking out, but I think Wanda tried to redirect it away from the civilians, and from what I could tell something went wrong, I don't know what, and there are people dead, Tony. Hard to tell exactly how many, but they're speculating at least 40."

"Shit," he breathed, running a hand down his face. "She was doing so well, too. I knew we shouldn't have put her into the field so soon! The stress, it-"

"Mr. Stark, please, relax," she ordered gently. She started taking deep, slow breaths, her hand following her movements. "Follow me, okay? In… and out… in… and out… two more… one more… okay I lied, one more… one more still… okay one last one… and stop. You feeling better?"

He let out the deep breath and nodded slowly. Placated for the moment, Jenny nodded and exited the elevator, keeping a light hand on his arm to guide him if he needed it. They managed to make it back to the car and headed to the airstrip. Jenny made a call to have their luggage collected and delivered back home before focusing her attention back on Stark. Today had not been a good day for the billionaire. She could only hope things would calm down, and fast, so he could recover. He was having trouble with that already, and he didn't want this to set him back… again. He'd been recovering, finally, from the Mandarin incident when S.H.I.E.L.D. had fallen and Hydra had been exposed. He'd taken to the Captain's request, and then suddenly all their hard work had gone down the drain. Then Ultron came along and they were back to square one. Slowly, ever so slowly, they had started the painstaking process over again, and it actually seemed to be helping him. Now this shit had to happen. Honestly, if she could just put the Avengers in a time-out...


	5. Chapter 5

The flash drive rolled between her thumb and forefinger as she studied it closely. In her other hand she held the plastic card Mr. Stark had given her. She was holed up in the stock room of some restaurant she knew of; the elderly owner was quite fond of her and would occasionally let her hide out while she gathered her thoughts. She had a lot to think about right now. Earlier in the day she had pulled off the greatest heist of her life-and the greatest heist her employer had ever heard of-and she would be guaranteed feasts for the rest of her life once she turned it in. However, she had been caught, and Tony Stark had given her reason to believe she could be better, and she had always tried to stay good, even when doing the things she did. If she delivered the flash drive, she would no longer be good; she would be the catalyst of nuclear war. No feast was worth that.

So, after finally making up her mind, Jenny Li placed the flash drive on the ground and stood up. She found a nice heavy box of flour and scooted it to the edge of the shelf that was conveniently located right above the small device. Gathering up all her strength, she shoved the box from the shelf and watched as it shattered the flash drive with a satisfying crunch. She kicked the box away and scooped the remains up before slinging her bag over her shoulder. She was done here. She tossed her garbage into the can and waved to the restaurant owner as she waltzed out the door. She felt light and free despite knowing she would quickly go hungry on the streets. It also wouldn't surprise her if her employer sent his people after her. The flash drive had some pretty important stuff on it, and he wouldn't want to lose that so easily. Not when he could make a fortune offering it up to the highest bidder. It was probably best for her to keep low for the time being; she'd need to steer clear of her usual haunts. She needed to find a new place to sleep, preferably one that wasn't an alley. After checking her usual spots they'd head for the parks, as those were the most friendly to people her age, so she couldn't go there. He had people always scoping out the shelters, so there went that idea, and suddenly she was left with no more options. She was basically screwed.

She found herself wandering about the streets surrounding the main building of Stark Industries New York headquarters, occasionally brushing her fingers against the card she was given. What did he mean? Who was she supposed to give it to? She bumped into a few protesters and quickly ducked into a bakery, leaning against a wall to properly watch the procession. Jenny stood there sadly as she read the seemingly infinite amount of signs calling out Mr. Stark and demanding he turn himself in to serve time for his many crimes against humanity. She had always looked up to the genius, seeing herself in him, and wished someday to achieve what he had. She remembered the day he had announced he would stop making weapons. Everyone thought he was crazy, that he would lose everything he and his father had worked for. But his earnings, and popularity, had actually shot up. And then he announced he was Ironman, and then Jenny's love for gadgets and science had really blossomed into something more than a hobby. It was just a few months ago, but it seemed so long ago now that she'd actually met him personally. She didn't want to disappoint someone so important in her life; if only he knew how important he really was to her.

"You gonna buy anything, kid?" the girl behind the counter asked.

"Oh, sorry, I don't have any money." She shuffled her feet awkwardly after her reply and glanced up at the cashier from under her lashes. "Can I just stay in here for another minute? It's freezing out there. Don't see how all those guys can stand it, y'know?"

The other girl sighed and looked around quickly before beckoning Jenny over. "Hey, you okay? You look awful, no offense." She reached out to touch her cheek, grimacing when she saw just how dirty the younger girl was. "Where do you live? Around here?"

"Uh, sure?"

To be perfectly honest, Jenny wasn't completely familiar with this area. She tried to make it a habit of steering clear of the rich area Stark Industries was located in. Despite this, she tried to seem confident in her response. The cashier, however, obviously didn't believe her. She placed a hand on her hip and gave Jenny an unimpressed look.

"My shift ends in ten minutes, okay? You can stay here and have a warm drink on me, and then we're going to have a long chat when I get off."

Not sure of what else to do, Jenny slid into a chair and watched as the other girl worked the machine to brew a cup of coffee. The smell hit her nose and made her stomach growl in a way that had her cheeks heating up in embarrassment. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had something to eat. The mug was placed in front of her along with some sort of pastry.

"Go ahead and eat it; we'll have to throw it out anyways."

Hesitating for only a moment more, she then bit into the treat, her eyes fluttering shut when the taste washed over her tongue. It was one of the most delicious things she'd eaten in her entire life. But that could also be because the meals she'd been eating for over a year hadn't exactly been that great; she'd mostly been getting leftovers, not that she was complaining. Food was food, but most food wasn't like this food. This food was divine. She scarfed it down and even went so far as to swipe up the crumbs from the plate; it was just that good.

"Did you make this?" she asked the girl curiously. "It's really good."

"Wish I could say I did, but no, I didn't. I'm just the barista. Whoever was in here this morning when we opened baked them. They are good, though. I sometimes sneak a few home after closing."

"I can see why."

"So, just out of curiosity, you're not, like, a wanted criminal, right?"

"Me? No… at least I don't think so. Pretty sure any charges were dropped."

The girl stared at her for a few seconds before laughing, causing Jenny to tilt her head in confusion. "Gotta hand it to you, kid, you've got some jokes. What's your name?"

"...Jenny."

"Abby. So, look, not to offend you or anything, but you look awful. And smell awful. Which means either you have a terrible sense of hygiene, or you're homeless."

Jenny turned her head to sniff at her shoulder, wincing when she caught a whiff of exactly how ripe her scent had gotten. "You caught me. I'm someone who absolutely hates showers. Never really grew out of it as a kid."

"If you need a place to crash, or just get clean, I live a few blocks down from here. It isn't much, but my roommate just skipped out on me, so there's an extra bed and a few leftover articles of clothing she left behind." Abby gave her a kind smile. "I don't mind letting you stay with me for a while. I could use the company anyway… as long as you promise to take a shower and to never, _ever_ smell like that again."

"I, uh, well… yeah, I promise."

"Great! Come on, the smell of coffee beans is making me sick."

"Shouldn't we wait for the next shift?"

"That douche is probably already in the back, biding his time until he has to clock in. I know him; he's an ass."

"Good to know."

The two of them ducked out of the shop and carefully stayed on the sidewalk as far from the protesters as they could possibly manage. They did not need to be getting caught up in that. Jenny kept her eye on Abby as she followed her to her apartment. She didn't know why the other girl decided to offer up her home to a perfect stranger, but she wasn't about to turn it down. She was tired, hungry, and in desperate need of a shower. Besides, no one involved with her former employer ever showed their face in this area, and none of them were… well… none of them looked like Abby, that's for sure. So she was pretty confident that Abby wasn't about to drag her ass back "home." Who knows? Maybe her luck was finally turning around.


	6. Chapter 6

A cough came from the rubble, the rubble of a disaster that shouldn't have left any survivors. But, despite this fact, amongst the rubble stood a wardrobe, perfectly intact, and from that wardrobe emerged a small figure. The figure, a little girl, fell from the closet and landed in the dust, letting out another cough as the particles clogged her airways for a moment. She shook her head to get rid of some of the dust coating her hair before looking around with wide eyes. This, this destruction, was all that was left of her home. Her village. Slowly, fearfully, she picked her way over to where her kitchen once stood. Her mind was screaming not to, but her hand moved of its own accord. Then, right as she was grabbing the first bit of debris to shift, she heard something. Voices. Someone was coming. She turned and quickly ran back to the wardrobe, throwing her entire weight against it to make it topple to the ground. Then, still rushing to hide before someone found her, she climbed into the piece of furniture and dragged the doors closed above her. She waited with baited breath as she heard footsteps kick through the rubble towards her hiding spot.

"Yeah, the whole goddamn village is wrecked!" the voice exclaimed in a heavily accented tone. Whoever it was, it was not someone from Madripoor, that was to be sure. "Holy shit, you're not gonna believe this! So this whole place is demolished, not one thing intact, but there's a fucking _closet_ just sitting here! In the middle of all this! Not a scratch on it!" It fell silent as the person stopped to listen to whoever they were speaking to. "Yeah, man, that's what I'm telling you! Nice quality too. Bet we'd catch a fine price for it. Want me to bring it in?" The girl shook her head, pleading with whoever would listen that they did not bring her in. "All right, man. We'll be back in an hour tops. Guys! Get your asses over here and help me with this!"

She held in a whimper as the wardrobe was hoisted back to its proper orientation. The breath was knocked out of her when she was thrown around inside it. Someone knocked on the back of it.

"You hear that? There's something in there!" a new voice breathed eagerly. "Let's crack it open. I'm not sharing shit with Baran, you hear me? Something nice in there, he ain't hearing a word of it."

"Would you relax? We'll bring it in and bust it open there before we even tell Baran we found something. Now come on; we gotta get this thing on the truck."

The little girl was forced to curl up in the corner as they struggled to carry the wardrobe back to their truck. Whatever they were planning to do with it, and her once they got the doors open, wasn't sounding too good, especially if it had to do with Baran. She didn't know much about the man, but she knew he didn't take kindly to those who didn't "belong" on Madripoor, and he for sure believed her parents had no place on the island, especially not his city. From what she could gleam from her parents' whispered conversations, her father had once been on good terms with Baran, but something had happened after he'd met her mother that had caused him to fall from grace and take refuge in the villages. The villages, in the eyes of those in power, were even worse than Lowtown. They were where all the outsiders lived, those who were not originally from Madripoor and did not have the money to buy citizenship. And her family was most definitely not from Madripoor, not even close.

"Whatever's in there must be big," the second voice claimed. "Did you hear it move in there? Gotta be expensive."

"Just keep it down, moron. Want Baran to hear of it? If he does, we're never even gonna lay eyes on it."

"Right."

The truck doors closed and suddenly they were moving again. She clutched the box to her chest tightly and rubbed at her sore neck. It still hurt. Her fingers brushed over the pearl and tugged lightly. She bit her lip to silence her gasp of pain at the action. That didn't feel too great. Worse than being jostled about in a wardrobe. She rose up on her knees to peak out the crack between the doors, watching her destroyed village fade from view as she was brought closer to Madripoor City. She figured they were heading to Hightown from the way they spoke about Baran. They also didn't sound like they were from the island, so they had to be some foreign "businessmen" visiting their fine country for its many benefits. Her nose curled up in disgust when she realized they must be hiding from some foreign government. No one was safer than in Madripoor… if you had the money. She, unfortunately, had no money, and she was currently hiding in a wooden wardrobe. Things weren't looking too great for her. She needed to get out before they found her out. She didn't want to know what happened if they found that the cargo they were driving around was actually a child from the village they had been plundering.

She peeked through the crack once more and noticed they were starting to pass terraces of haphazardly built shacks. Lowtown. The truck would need to slow down for pedestrian traffic, and there was a lot in the impoverished part of Madripoor City. No fancy cars this far from Hightown. So, when she felt the truck start to stop near a market, she threw the doors open and leapt from the bed, yelping when she hit the dusty ground hard. Glancing around, she quickly darted into a narrow alley, hoping no one would notice her or wonder what it was she was doting around with her. She hid behind a stack of boxes, panting as she caught her breath, and checked to make sure the box was okay. It was all she had of her family now. She stood up properly and looked around. She was in Lowtown, Madripoor City, Madripoor. She was in the poorest area of the capital city of the most notoriously corrupt country in the world. So… where did she go from here?


	7. Chapter 7

Jenny looked up from her desk, one of the few rare moments she actually used it, when two men approached her. She swore she felt her blood pressure rise when her eyes met those of Secretary Ross, their country's lovely Secretary of State. How that man got that position in the first place is beyond her, but nevertheless she tried her damndest to keep her professional composure around him. It wouldn't do well to lose her temper at one of the higher ranking officials of the government. So she minimized her browser window and offered him and his own secretary a polite smile.

"Good afternoon, Secretary," she greeted with a false tone of warmth. She'd gotten quite good at that since working for Stark. "How can I help you today?"

"Mr. Stark and I have some very important matters to discuss. Is he available?" Ross replied in a tight voice, struggling to keep his own composure. He knew all about the background of Stark's secretary and found it best not to offend her. He didn't want any scandals getting out because he hurt her feelings. "Tell him it's an urgent matter."

"Urgent matter?" she echoed. That didn't sound too good. Stark was still handling PR since Lagos. "Of what sort?"

"United Nations has drawn up something he should really see."

"Oh. Let me go tell him." She quickly stood and scurried over to Stark's door. "One moment, please."

She burst into the room, giving her boss a wide-eyed look when he whirled around and fixed her with a glare. What the hell did she think she was doing? There were rules and-and his secretary looked very pale. She looked frightened. She didn't usually have that tone or expression, so what happened?

"Everything okay? Something happen? Please tell me nothing happened. I've been dealing with media and government for weeks now! I can't handle another incident."

"Um, Secretary Ross is here to see you," she told him shakily.

"Him? Send him away. You know how much I hate talking to that guy. Tell him I'm busy or something. Did you really come in here to tell me that? You usually cover for me. You having an off day or something?"

"Tony, I really think you should see him." That got his attention. Jenny rarely ever used his first name, only when something was serious. "He says it has to do with the UN. I think they may have decided to weigh in on Lagos. King T'Chaka _has_ been pressing it, so they must feel pressured."

"Shit. I'd almost had it under control." He sighed heavily and ran a hand down his face. "Send him in. Might as well get this over with. Man do I hate that guy…"

"What do you… what do you think they've done?" she asked worriedly as she backed towards the door.

"I guess we're about to find out."

* * *

"The others won't go for it," Stark blurted the moment Ross was finished explaining the situation. "You have to know that they won't. This won't sit well with them."

"Having you all sign it is a formality, Mr. Stark. A formality put in place so we don't have to brand the Earth's Mightiest Heroes as international terrorists." Jenny watched Ross stand and place his pen in his coat pocket. "If the public sees that the Avengers are no longer a group of vigilantes, they can put more trust in you and us."

"So we're some sort of government army squad?"

"No, you will be the same group of heroes you've always been, just no longer wreaking havoc on your own," Ross pointed out sharply. "Face it Tony. Despite all you've done to save the world, it still manages to fall deeper into ruin. Maybe the Avengers have had a hand in that." Stark's jaw twitched at that. The man brought up a good point. "The protests must be getting exhausting. Look at them down there. Do they ever stop?"

"I believe they've started taking shifts. They've also started getting violent," he said with a glance at his secretary.

"All of this hero stuff is starting to take it's toll on you, Stark. With these Accords in place, you won't be responsible for making the call. That won't be resting on your conscience. As a United Nations taskforce, the Avengers will be given some legitimacy. People are scared, and that fear is starting to spread to you. They're starting to fear the people they once admired."

"And you expect these Accords to help?"

"I don't know about you, but I'd feel a lot safer and more trusting knowing Enhanced individuals won't suddenly be destroying my city."

"If I may speak," Jenny cut in softly, looking to Stark for permission. She gave a small smile when she saw his nod. "While I do agree the Avengers need some sort of check, what about its members? It's Enhanced members, as you so kindly spoke of before?"

"I assume you're speaking of Wanda Maximoff?"

"Precisely. When these Accords go into effect, what will become of her? Will you just lock her up in a cell like Hydra did? Or will you, if she wishes, give her an opportunity to become a resident? Citizen even?"

"If these are concerns the Avengers have, I'm sure the United Nations will be more than willing to make amendments to the Accords. They don't want to imprison the Avengers. They just want to keep their citizens safe."

"And I understand that," Stark told him, "but the others won't see it the same way. If we just had more time-"

"They're meeting in three days, Mr. Stark," Ross interrupted. "I'll be more than happy to explain this all to the rest of your group. But I hope you know that these will go into effect whether you sign them or not."

"I do…"

"Good. Now, I think it's time the other Avengers were briefed, don't you?"

Secretary Ross shot Stark a smug smirk before walking out of the office, leaving Jenny glaring after him. She moved to stand in front of her boss, giving him a concerned look. This was not her definition of things getting better. This was kind of her definition of things getting worse.

"Mr. Stark, what are you going to do?"

"Sign the Accords. And hope the others see reason."

She let out a soft sigh and shook her head. "As much as I respect him, Captain Rogers will not easily see things the same way you do, and Mr. Wilson will follow him instantly."

"That's what I'm worried about," he muttered as he rubbed his face tiredly. "Wanda… she's _who_ I'm worried about. Not about signing but about what happens next."

"Secretary Ross has a bad habit of locking away people he cannot control."

"I won't let him do that to Wanda. She's a good kid. Troubled, but good. Kinda like someone else I know…" Jenny nudged his side with her elbow, smiling when he ruffled her hair fondly. "Once we can get this all figured out, we can amend the Accords so she'll be protected under international law. Nothing's going to happen to her."

"Well… first we have to get the others to sign. One step at a time."

"Yeah… one step at a time."


	8. Chapter 8

"Jenny? I ordered pizza, is that okay with you?" Abby called through the bathroom door. "You have a preference for toppings? I got cheese just in case!"

"Y-yeah, that sounds great," she replied back as she tugged on the shirt she was given. Whoever Abby's roommate was, she was pretty tall. Or she liked long shirts. Either way, it was really soft and clean and smelled nice. "Where should I put my towel?"

"Uh, there's a hamper under the sink! Just toss it in there!"

Jenny complied before slipping out of the bathroom. Her hair was still dripping water, but she hadn't felt this good in a long time. She felt light and clean and… happy, actually. Abby had given her a place to bathe, some clean clothes to wear, and had ordered food for the two of them to share. She didn't know people could be this nice! She found her host in the kitchen, grabbing plates and cups from her cabinets for dinner. Abby grinned when she saw Jenny climbing onto one of her stools.

"Hey! Feeling better?"

"Much. Thank you for letting me stay here."

"Yeah, no problem! You looked kinda lost, y'know, and I've been feeling kinda lonely since Sara left, so it works for both of us! Oh, the sheets should be clean in Sara's room, and…"

Abby's voice slowly faded to the back of Jenny's attention as she focused on something else. There were a few potted plants tucked away in the corner of the kitchen by the only window in the area, but what upset her was how wilted they looked. She liked plants, had ever since one of her foster mothers taught her how to care for their garden. She'd actually liked that woman, but she was older than most and not all that healthy, so eventually the kind couple had been forced to give Jenny up so they could afford the mother's medical bills. They hadn't been able to keep in contact, so caring for plants made her feel like she was back with them instead of slumming it on the streets.

"Hey, you okay?" Abby asked, tilting her head curiously when she saw how spaced out her new friend was. "What's up?"

"Your plants," she pointed out quietly, "they're sick."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm terrible with plants, and Sara decided to leave them with me when she left. So… yeah, they're not doing so good. Why? Do you garden?"

"Used to."

She got up to fill a cup with water and walked over to carefully tend for the dying plants. They didn't look _too_ bad, so they would probably bounce back without much trouble.

"Say, how old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"Buddy of mine works at this movie theater nearby, says they're hiring if you want a job," Abby offered. "You could stay here and help me pay rent. Haven't had much luck finding a new roommate, and I like you. You seem like a chill roommate. Sure beats living out there, doesn't it?"

"You… you want me to live here?"

"Yeah, sure. I need a roommate, and pretty sure my conscience would get heavier if I kicked you out on the streets to fend for yourself. What d'you say?"

"I mean, yeah, that sounds great!" For the first time since they met, Jenny actually showed off a grin. "I'd love a job!"

"Pays minimum wage, and your hours are sucky since you're still a minor, but we can make it work. Would at least keep you off the streets, right?"

"Thank you so much!"

"Yeah, don't mention it."

The next few weeks saw Jenny spending most of her time working at the movie theater around the corner to make up her share of the rent, and then she'd come back to the apartment she now could call home, being welcomed with the sweet scent of cooking food each night. Abby made sure to either have pizza or some other takeout ready for when Jenny came home. She never wanted the younger girl to be unsure about her meals again. Jenny was happy and safe, and she was pretty proud of herself because she no longer was involved in illegal activities to survive. She had an honest job now, even if it did pay very little. It was a start, and that was good enough for her. She'd also spend her weekends caring for the little plants Abby kept on their kitchen windowsill, patiently nursing them back to full health. Things were finally looking up for her. And then, of course, some huge green monster had to go on a rampage through the city, destroying the movie theater Jenny worked at as well as the bakery where she met Abby. So the girls found themselves out of jobs and facing rent.

"What are we going to do?" Abby asked Jenny worriedly, pacing the kitchen as they wracked their brains for any ideas that could get them out of this mess. "Every place I've checked is already completely full! That stupid Hulk put everyone out of work and now everyone else snatched up the available positions!"

Jenny frowned and tapped her fingers against her thighs nervously. What were they going to do? Things were just getting good for them! And then she felt it. The little piece of cardstock still stuck in her pocket. The card from Mr. Stark. She leapt to her feet and grinned at Abby.

"Don't worry, okay? I've got a plan!"

"Wait, what plan? Where are you going?"

"I'll be back soon! Promise!"

She trotted down the steps of their building and sprinted down the sidewalk, headed towards the skyscraper that housed Stark Industries. She could only hope this wasn't some sort of sick joke because this was all they had left. They were going to survive. That she would make sure of. She slipped into the lobby after some primly dressed businessmen and walked up to the main desk, acting desperately like she belonged although she obviously didn't. Her wrinkled clothes and ratty sneakers gave that much away. The receptionist looked down her nose at Jenny in contempt.

"May I help you?" she asked with a sigh. Obviously she thought she had better things to do than talk to some kid off the streets. "If you need directions somewhere, the convenience store across the street has free maps."

"I, um," she quickly slapped the card from Mr. Stark onto the table and said, "Mr. Stark gave me that and told me to give it to you. I think. He wasn't very clear as to who I was supposed to give it to."

"Right, you expect me to believe Tony Stark himself gave this—" she cut off when she got a better look at the slip of paper. It clearly meant something to her. "How'd you get this?"

"Uh, I'm pretty sure I just told you that Mr. Stark gave it to me."

"The only people who ever get something like this are CEOs of fortune 500 companies, and you do not fit the bill. So tell me where you got it, kid!"

"I did!"

"Problem here, ladies?" a large man asked as he strolled by. He didn't like to hear such ruckus going on in the lobby of Mr. Stark's building. Wasn't good for business.

"Yes, actually," the receptionist growled. "This cretin here claims Mr. Stark gave her this card, which isn't possible because no one gets this card unless you're the president."

The man took the card before looking Jenny over. He shrugged and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Mr. Stark said something about giving a kid a card, so I'll go ahead and bring her up."

"Thank you," Jenny breathed in relief. "Although I really don't know what this card is."

"Just a way for you to get access to the higher floors."

"Well maybe there's a better way that doesn't involve security."

"She wasn't wrong. Usually national leaders and other CEOs can get their hands on that card, not teenagers like you."

"Well don't I feel special."

"You should. Anyways, we're just going to go through this door here and—oh, hello Miss Potts. Is Mr. Stark in?"

"Hey, Happy. Who's this?"

"She has a card."

Jenny smiled and waved the card awkwardly as if in greeting. She wasn't really sure what the proper etiquette was here. The woman, however, just gave her a smile before slipping through the doors in front of them. Jenny guessed that was Mr. Stark's office. They stood there for a minute or two, rocking on their heels awkwardly as Happy whistled quietly and looked around the room, until finally Miss Potts poked her head out.

"You can come in now, Miss Li."

"I, uh… Miss Li?" She'd never been addressed so formally by anyone other than Law enforcement before. It was a strange experience. "Oh, right, yes, thank you!"

And with a nervous roll of her shoulders, Jenny followed Miss Pott's into the office, unknowingly leaving her old life behind. This moment was the beginning of a new era.


End file.
